Book Review: Daughters of the Dust By Julie Dash

When choosing books to read for the Southern Literature Reading Challenge, I quickly thought of Daughters of the Dust by Julie Dash.  This is one of those very rare occurrences when the book was written following the movie by the same name.  Now, I have seen the movie on several occasions, and even used it once in the classroom when teaching college freshmen. ( For one semester, I chose to teach novels that presented the folk legend of the Flying Africans).  I should note, my students were not overly impressed with the movie (something about it being too slow) and I must admit, if you're not familiar with Gullah/Geechee Folklore, the beauty of the film may be lost.  But for now, let's talk about the book...

Synopsis:
During the height of Harlem's celebrated literary Renaissance, the young and aspiring college student, Amelia Varnes, leaves New York and returns to the isolated sea coast islands of South Carolina to trace her mother's family history.  Amelia's  growing friendship with her cousin Elizabeth puts into motion the discovery of the Peazant family origins and history, enriched with tradition and folklore, as well as stories of Africa, of slavery, and emancipation,.  Amelia's college research project quickly becomes a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment.

My Review:
I enjoyed reading this novel, and yet, in the end I felt just a bit disappointed.  Dash provided a wonderful abundance of  African folklore as well as Gullah history and culture which I found to be the most appealing aspects of the novel.  However, as a literary work,  I feel the overall development of characters was lacking, as though each character were merely a vehicle in which to convey various traditions, and the plot itself lacked a serious sense of direction and often times wandered.  For some readers, Dash's use of dialect may be troublesome.  Personally, I love reading dialect and find it to provide a greater sense of authenticity.  If you're not familiar with dialect, here's a brief sample from the novel:
De elders start to callin on de ol spirits, cryin out to Yemoja, Oshun, Elegba, Ogun! Don't let dis gal leave here! Now dem ol spirits, dey been waitin for de call.
Overall, Dash has provided a novel rich with history, folklore, and tradition, and on that basis alone I would  recommend Daughters of the Dust.
My rating: 4

Recommendations for further viewing/reading:

Video Interview with Julie Dash regarding the making of the film.
The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton (Children's Literature)
The Legacy of Ibo Landing: Gullah Roots of African American Culture by Marquetta L. Goodwine

* As a side note, I've been craving Gumbo since reading this novel!  Stop by tomorrow and I'll share my recipe with ya'll!

The Classics: The Bread Givers By Anzia Yezierska

As part of The Classics 2011 Reading Challenge, without hesitation, I quickly chose two novels by Anzia Yezierska.  During my graduate studies, I was introduced to Yezierska's collection of short stories, How I Found America, and was immediately captivated by this extraordinary author.  A young Jewish immigrant living on New York's Lower East Side, Yezierska managed to publish six books between 1920 and 1932.  As literary scholar, Alice Kessler-Harris so accurately explains in the introduction, Yezierska's constant themes are the dirt and congestion of the tenement, the struggle against poverty, family, and tradition, to break out of the ghetto, and then the searing recognition that her roots would always lie in the old world.  All of Yezierska's writings contain a sense of autobiograhpy but none more so than The Bread Givers.

Review:

The Bread Givers, immediately transports the reader back in time to the tenements of New York's Lower East Side during the early 1920's and the struggles of young Jewish immigrant, Sara Smolinsky. Caught between her old world values and her deep desire to become an "American", Sara's plight towards independence is heart-wrenching to say the least.  As Sara tries to break free from her dominating Rabbi father and Jewish traditions, she is soon faced with similar barriers in the form of greedy landlords, "sweat shop" bosses, as well as the prevailing prejudice against immigrants. During a period in American history when it was widely unacceptable to for a woman to be educated, Sara was convinced the only way to succeed and achieve the "American Dream" was through eduction.

I honestly cannot speak highly enough of this novel.  Yezierska provides us with so much more than a coming of age novel.  The pages are abundant with history, the plight of immigrants, and the struggles of women seeking equality and a sense of self-identity in a male-dominated society at the turn of the century.  Yezierska's writing was initially criticized for the use of "simple language" and Jewish dialect, and yet, it's these very characteristics that bring her writing to life.  A truly enjoyable read that I can easily give a 5!